NOTEBOOK: Renfroe remembers fondly his time in Virginia

STARKVILLE - When informed if he knew anything about the University of Virginia, his future opponent in a Super Regional round, Hunter Renfroe had one thought.

"I don't know, I play pretty well in Virginia to be honest with you with the summer league up there," Renfroe said. "It's going to be exciting and I hope everybody will come there to support us."

Renfroe, who is a high 2013 MLB Draft prospect, hit .364 with the Bethesda (Md.) Big Train and set Cal Ripken College Baseball League marks with 19 home runs and 57 RBI, was named by Perfect Game scouting as the top prospect in the Cal Ripken League. The Cal Ripken League has two teams in the state of Virginia and Renfroe was tabbed to play Wednesday in the league's all-star game and the Home Run Derby this past summer.

In 2011, Renfroe hit .305 and hit a club-record and league-leading eight home runs in helping power Bethesda to a 36-9 record and its third consecutive Cal Ripken Collegiate League championship.

Monday night also served as a possible swan song in the home careers for Renfroe and fellow junior Adam Frazier. In what was likely their last home game at Dudy Noble Field, due to both players likely being drafted high in this week's MLB draft, the duo combined for five hits, four RBIs and three runs scored.

"It honestly wouldn't shock me if we had thousands of people make their way to Virginia for the Super Regional there," Renfroe said after the Regional championship win Monday.

n Top seeds and hosts cruise to 14 of 16 Super Regional berths: Fourteen of 16 sports in the 2013 NCAA Super Regional round are owned by schools that were top seeds and hosts of regional tournaments.

For the second straight year, seven of the eight national seeds advanced, with only No. 8 University Oregon falling to Rice University in Eugene, Ore. Since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1999, an average of six national seeds per year have won regionals. In each of the previous three years, 13 top seeds won regionals.

"This weekend backed up our assertion heading into the tournament that college baseball is top-heavy this year," Baseball America national college baseball writer Aaron Fitt said.

Two of those top regional seeds will meet in Charlottesville, Va., starting Saturday at noon when the University of Virginia will play host to Mississippi State University at Davenport Field.

NCAA Super Regional ticket books may be purchased in person at the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall, by calling the Ticket Office at (800) 542-8821 or logging on to VirginiaSports.com. The Virginia Athletics Ticket Office will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Friday.

As of 4 p.m. Monday, fewer than 950 ticket books remained, including both Reserved and General Admission inventory. Davenport Field will seat 4,956 for postseason play.

All-session General Admission ticket books are currently on sale for $24, while all-session Reserved ticket books are available for $36.

Any remaining single-session tickets for the super regional would go on sale on at 9 a.m. Friday and will be $16 for Reserved and $12 for General Admission.

New for the 2013 postseason, seating in the left- and right-field bleachers will be reserved. Again this year, all seating in the grandstands and bleachers along the first-baseline will be reserved. General admission tickets are valid for the grass hillside along the left-field line and for standing room only.

Fans are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets in advance, as it is the only way to guarantee they will be able to attend all tournament games.

Customers ordering tickets from now until game day may pick up their tickets during regular business hours at the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall or at Davenport Field Will Call on game day beginning two hours prior to the first session of the day.

Ticket sales at Davenport Field begin two hours prior to game time each day and end at the top of the seventh inning on the last session each day. Fans may upgrade from General Admission to Reserved on game day, subject to availability, at the Davenport Field ticket windows for $4 per ticket.

Gates will open two hours prior to game time.

n Stratton named to Minor League all-star game: Former Mississippi State star pitcher Chris Stratton is one of six players on his Single-A minor league team, the Augusta (Ga.) GreenJackets.

Stratton, a former Southeastern Conference pitcher of the year and first round draft pick of the San Francisco Giants was named to the 54th Annual South Atlantic League All-Star Game Tuesday morning.

"We have a great selection of players and a great stadium to showcase the event," Eric Krupa, president of the South Atlantic League, said. "Each year, the expectations are raised and each year the host club meets or exceeds them. Co-owner Joe Finley, General Manager Brandon Marano and the staff in Lakewood have been working for more than a year in order to live up to that tradition and host one of the great events on our baseball calendar."

The contest will be played at Lakewood, N.J. on June 18 at FirstEnergy Park. In his first full season in the minor leagues, Stratton is 6-3 record through 10 starts with a 3.77 ERA. In his 59.2 innings, the Tupelo native has recorded 63 strikeouts.

n Stephenson out at Wichita State: At Wichita, Kan., Gene Stephenson has been fired as head baseball coach at Wichita State after a 36-year career.

Athletics director Eric Sexton announced the decision Tuesday, saying it was the "proper time to move into a new phase of Shocker baseball."

The 67-year-old Stephenson held a brief news conference, saying he had been forced to retire with a year left on his contract.